Could splitting Luddendenfoot solve boundary shake-up dispute?

Published:11:41Tuesday 21 March 2017

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The Halifax Labour Party is wanting to split a ward as a counter proposal to the Boundary Commission which wants to take part of Halifax and transfer it into the Calder Valley parliamentary constituency.

A second consultation period started ahead of a major electoral shake-up where the commission has made recommendations about where the boundaries of English constituencies should be, based on a reduction from 650 to 600 overall and more equal numbers of electors in each.

The Calder Valley and Halifax constituencies will undergo a major reshuffle in proposals being put forward by the Commission.

Brighouse, Rastrick, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe and Elland will now come under the Halifax constituency along with Royds from the City of Bradford.

The Halifax constituency will also be made up of Northowram and Shelf, Ovenden, Park and Town wards.

The new look Calder Valley constituency will consist of the wards Calder, Greetland and Stainland, Illingworth and Mixenden, Luddendenfoot, Ryburn, Skircoat, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden and Warley.

However the Halifax Labour Party has put forward a proposal some Luddendenfoot polling districts to move into the current Halifax constituency and to leave all other polling districts as they are currently

Councillor Adam Wilkinson from the party said: “It is clear that there is much opposition to the Boundary Commission’s proposals for the Halifax and Calder Valley constituencies.

“There is a particularly high level of opposition in the Royds area where residents do not want that ward to link with Calderdale.

“We believe that there would be similar opposition from any other area of Bradford to the idea of being joined to a Calderdale constituency.

“Residents in the Halifax area are also understandably opposed to the idea of splitting the town in half, as per the Boundary Commission proposals, severing long existing cultural and municipal ties.

“Having considered all of the submissions for the Calderdale area we now think there are exceptional and compelling circumstances that would merit splitting a ward in Calderdale in order to ensure that these ties are respected and that no ‘orphan ward’ from Bradford needs to be adjoined.

“Splitting a ward would allow there to be minimal change in Calderdale, with the town of Halifax left intact and current constituency boundaries retained for the most part.

“Cultural, historical and geographical ties would also be respected and retained.”

Coun Wilkinson said just 3,990 electors would change constituency, and both Calderdale constituencies would fall in the Boundary Commission’s acceptable range: Halifax 71,795, Calder Valley 71,069

“This counter proposal would mean that over 97% of electors in the Calderdale area would remain in their current constituency,” said the spokesperson.

Residents can view comments, support counter-proposals and make their views felt until Monday March 27 at the commission’s website, www.bce2018.org.uk